Town Square

District gives nod to new parcel tax

Original post made
on Feb 15, 2008

Facing huge state budget cuts that threaten elementary and middle school programs and small class sizes, the Mountain View Whisman school board voted last week to seek a 69 percent increase in the current parcel tax when it comes up for renewal on the June ballot.

Posted by Resident
a resident of Jackson Park
on Feb 15, 2008 at 2:21 pm

So does this mean the teachers will get the 4.5% cola added to their pay like the firefighters in this town will get for the next 5 years? Let's see the district put their money where their mouth is because from my recollection, teacher raises and COLA adjustments have been almost nonexistent since the last tax increase. If you want to retain and recruit good teachers, pay them what they're worth, as have the surrounding school districts with higher performing schools. It's teachers that impact students more than anything else.

WHAT? AGAIN? Are we all living on the same planet? I cannot believe this.

* Teacher retention and recruitment YEAH RIGHT, DOES THIS ACTUALLY MEAN THE TEACHERS WILL GET PAID MORE. A SIMPLE YES OR NO ANSWER IS ALL THAT'S REQUIRED, BUT YOU'LL NEVER GET IT
* School libraries - Go to the PUBLIC LIBRARY instead
* Lower class sizes - They already are low! FOR PETE'S SAKE I SAT IN CLASSROOMS OF 30 OR MORE MY ENTIRE TIME IN SCHOOL.
* Music and arts programs - FOCUS ON MATH, SCIENCE INSTEAD.
* Outdoor education - WHAT!?! I don't even want to know what this is.
* Student leadership classes WHAT!?! Who came up with this wacko list. THIS IS A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
* Support for English language learners OH PLEASE... HERE WE GO AGAIN FOOTING THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION TAX BILL SINCE NO ONE ELSE WANTS TO PAY FOR IT
* Extracurricular sports programs OH PLEASE
* On-site intervention specialists NOW WHAT? MORE GANGS IN THE SCHOOLS
* Intersession programming during school breaks THIS IS THE LIMIT! WHAT A BUNCH OF HOG WASH
* Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs TAKE THE MONEY YOU SAVE FROM PAY MORE TAXES AND GET YOUR KID PIANO LESSONS

Posted by Mari
a resident of Shoreline West
on Feb 28, 2008 at 1:06 pm

NUMB, your insensitivity is amazing. Spoken like someone who is no raising kids in the here and now. Since I am raising kids, I can tell you that these programs are absolutely necessary. It can make a difference between having inadequately educated children who roam the streets and get into trouble,growing up to be on public assistance because they were given substandard education and guidance,and children who thrive because they are exposed to a myriad of programs. Good parenting can only go so far. A great education combined with great parenting is what's needed. Our children deserve nothing less than the best we can offer. It's much more than just science and math.

Posted by Enough!
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Feb 28, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Mari:

With Mountain View schools doing so poorly, I think Numb's main concern was to focus on the basics and shelve the rest. We are in a recession. Not all families can afford higher taxes. Schools need to focus on science and math above all else after reading and writing. Yet science and math is nowhere on the list. You won't have to go far to find how dismal the school districts performs in these areas. The state and nation as a whole is doing terrible in these areas. The middle schools can never find qualified science and math teachers. The ones at the middle schools are just rotten (and you'd know if were a scientist).

I say recall the board as well. It's not like over half were even elected anyway. One was appointed, another faced no challengers and just walked in, as was the same for a third seeking a second term. Smart and wealthier families just take their kids out and go to private schools. I say you should do the same if you don't want your kids roaming the streets.

Posted by Teacher
a resident of Sylvan Park
on Mar 10, 2008 at 8:36 pm

Robin:

We got a 1% bonus for a raise. Technically it's not a raise. It comes to about $300 per teacher this year and next. Doesn't even begin to cover runaway gas prices. The district threatened the union with cutting into our benefits if we didn't accept it.

I suggest you try quoting some more facts on teacher raises since you're so good at towing the party line. Tell us all how teacher raises have kept up with the cost of living and inflation rate for this area. Go ahead. Research the last 5 years. Do your homework and you'll find out our salaries are being whittled away and our purchasing power has declined. Then research administrators salaries for the same period. What? Cat got your tongue?